Witnessing - You Don't Have to Have Super Powers - Part 1

Recently, I led an evangelism class at a local college for the Baptist Campus Ministry. I wish I could say that there were a flood of students who attended this early Saturday morning class, but only 2 showed. (I learned a valuable lesson about scheduling training classes at the appropriate time for the context.)

We were just about to strike camp and go home when the young woman who came asked a few questions about my ministry. She was absolutely blown away by the fact that I could walk up to a total stranger and have a spiritual conversation with that person.

Many believers are like this young lady...they don't know what to say to someone to start a spiritual conversation and they are scared to death to say anything at all.

I must confess that this is one skill that I constantly work to develop. It does not come naturally to me as an introvert.

One thing that I have learned is that people are more open to talking about spiritual matters than most people give them credit for. We irrationally envision ourselves initiating a spiritual conversation only to be crushed by the words of rejection. If you approach people with the right attitude, most of the time they will graciously listen to you.

In Acts 8:26-39, we see the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. It is an excellent Biblical example of a witnessing encounter and a perfect model for talking to anyone about Jesus.

One of the first things we see about talking to anyone about Jesus is: Our conversation must be guided by the Holy Spirit. Phillip was told by the Spirit to go to a specific place, to talk to a specific person, and was given specific insight into the spiritual condition of that person.

It is the job of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct believers in their conversations with other about Jesus. The Spirit never draws attention to Himself, but points others to Jesus. He speaks to believers through inner promptings and impressions which helps them to accomplish the task of witnessing.

As a believer, you will only learn to listen to the Spirit through building your relationship with Christ and through the continued practice of witnessing. There are no short cuts to familiarizing yourself with His work.

You may have experienced the prompting of the Holy Spirit before. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew that God wanted you to talk to someone about Jesus? Most believers have. How did you react?

If you followed through with the conversation, you probably will remember how specific scriptures, that you haven't thought of in years, came to mind with ease. You will likely recall thinking, "did I really say that?"

Total reliance on the Holy Spirit is an absolute essential for a witnessing encounter.

The next time you start shaking in your boots thinking about witnessing to someone - even a total stranger - take a deep breath and pray for the Spirit of God to guide your words and thoughts. You don't have to have super powers, just a supernatural helper known as the Holy Spirit.

In the next article, we will talk about the importance of two-way dialogue in a witnessing conversation.

Introverts Unite!

I am an introvert.

I know that being an introvert and an evangelist don’t seem to mix. Most people think of an evangelist as someone that can talk to anyone – and everyone. Clearly, there are some evangelists who are extraverts. But personality does not an evangelist make…it is the call of God that makes one an evangelist.

I have to work very hard at getting to know people. This often affects my ability to engage people in conversations which lead to sharing the gospel. I much rather stand before thousands of people and preach a gospel message than talk to people one-on-one about a relationship with Jesus. But I know that my calling demands that I engage people on all levels – including face-to-face.

I am in good company...

Many believers are introverts too. Not in their personalities, but in their willingness to engage people with the gospel.

Recently, I taught a FriendFluence class in our church. As we progressed through the class, it was apparent the most of the participants felt the need to share the gospel. They had invited people to church, special programs and events, and bible studies. But most had never actually presented the gospel to someone and invited them to trust Christ.

What are some reasons that keep people from sharing the gospel with people in their circle of influence?

Fear – Nobody likes being rejected. If we share the gospel with someone, and that person does not respond by receiving Christ, we tend the feel that they have somehow rejected us. Or, we may irrationally feel that their rejection of Christ may somehow push them away from Him and do more harm than good. This fear comes from a misunderstanding of our responsibility in sharing the gospel. In Ezekiel 3:19 we read, “But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.” In other words, our responsibility to others is to share the good news, not to convert them. We cannot convert anyone! God does the work of conversion.

Lack of Knowledge – Some believers feel they don’t know enough about the gospel to share it with others. I often wonder, how did ever come to Christ themselves? Surely they have some knowledge of the gospel if they have experienced salvation. This idea shows that they lack the motivation to learn and grow in their faith. If you don’t know something, what is keeping you from learning it?

Apathy – I have been dismayed and surprised at the lack of concern displayed by believers for people who don’t know Jesus. While we may be concerned for meeting their physical needs, we neglect their greatest need of all which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. We may hear hundreds of messages in our lifetime dealing with our need to share Jesus with others, yet fail to develop a burden for the unbelieving world.

There are probably hundreds of other reasons why we don’t share the gospel. The only way to truly overcome any of these objections is to go out and practice evangelism.

I have discovered that the cure for my gospel introversion is to keep sharing the gospel until all of my fears are assuaged. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels. We may start out with a lack of confidence, a little help from someone holding onto the seat, a push, a crash and a bloody knee. Eventually, we will getup, dust ourselves off and remount the bicycle. Finally, after many tries and failures, we will ride free and easy. We will begin to look forward to riding over and over again.

If you are a gospel introvert – like me – face your fears, lack of knowledge and apathy or a hundred other excuses by getting to know someone that needs Jesus. Get to know them and share the good news as you get to know them.